raising the debt ceiling does not authorize more spending. it simply allows the country to pay for spending that congress has already committed to. these are bills that have already been racked up. and we need to pay them. so while i'm willing to compromise and find common ground over how to reduce our deficits, america cannot afford another debate with this congress about whether or not they should pay the bills they have already racked up. but to even entertain the idea of this happening, of the united states of america not paying its bills is irresponsible. it is absurd. the full faith and credit of the united states of america is not a bargaining chip. and they had better choose quickly because time is running short. >> house republicans continued to threaten to use the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip. house republican conference chairwoman kathy rogers told "political" i think it is possible we would shut down the government to make sure that president obama understands that we're serious. well, i guess that would do it. we always talk